Why are newer computers black, as opposed to older, beige cases?

[anon]

Title. I found this in Wikipedia but it doesn't answer my question.

"More recently, as name-brand manufacturers have moved away from beige (typically switching to black, dark gray, and silver-colored cases), inexpensive generic cases (which have changed less dramatically) have become more distinct as "beige boxes"."

After me and my friends noticed this, it became a joke that if a device or cable is black, it will work faster and better.

[Blocker]

Maybe people prefer color black than beige

A kind of marketing could be involved in the change

But Mac's are white/grey mmhhh

[Instab]

marketing of course. most people think black devices are just cooler while beige rather has a conservative touch.

[SealLion]

I think that one of the few reasons might be, for example, because of stains. Black does not show stains as easily as it would with other colors not being black. I personally could not see myself owning a white laptop for example.
I mean, imagine what would it look like if I dropped a blob of strawberry jam on the thing?? It would make me wanna say "That's it!! Next time I'm gonna choose peanut butter"

[roberto1972]

I had Mac is it black?
Of course You have right that black is better for stains but white better reflects sun. And believe me that when You have white computer case then you components will be colder... Of course not so much, maybe 1-2F, I practiced.
Nonetheless I have very nice black Zalman case.

[cirulilu]

black computers are faster.

[gu5t3r]

Come to the dark side, we have cookies =)

[cirulilu]

Black Computers Faster - It's Official!
Black Computers Are Faster!

[ArielJT]

It's the same thing as old green bathrooms, now all white.

[takomania]

erm - it's pretty obvious - beige cases become discolored under most types of light aside from fluorescents.

look at your old commodore 64s or amigas, your 386s etc. it's the same with printers and monitors.

try googling for amiga discolouration or just computer case discoloration.

infact, i'll save u 10 seconds

After a few days of research on the process though jargon-dense industry white papers and by lurking on plastics forums, I managed to piece together an answer. Unfortunately, most of what I found focused on the UV-degradation (light exposure) side of things, which is most applicable to the discoloration of Macintosh cases. But we can apply some of what we'll learn to the SNES in a moment.

Most plastics typically reflect the majority of UV light that hits them. However, if there are trace elements of catalyst residues (chemicals used in manufacturing of the plastic), such as if the manufacturer doesn't get the mixture quite right, then the residues present in the final plastic will absorb UV and drastically accelerate the degradation process. Exposure to UV light in this instance starts a process called photodegradation (through photooxidation), which takes place in parallel with thermal oxidation (from exposure to heat). Both processes break down the chemical structure of the plastic as certain parts of it combine with available oxygen. And once this process gets started, it feeds upon itself and starts a continual cycle of degradation. Interestingly enough, the disrupted plastic molecules that are produced by the photooxidation process absorb UV light themselves and re-emit it at a lower wavelength (in the visible range), which changes the perceived color of the plastic.

the excerpt above is from an article focusing on the discoloration of the super nintendo/famicom vgs, but it applies to everything.

VC&G | Why Super Nintendos Lose Their Color: Plastic Discoloration in Classic Machines

that said,

black computers do run faster.

[anon]

^ That's a reasonable explanation, thank you.

I'd look at my beige Compaq Presario 7469, but it's archived somewhere in a box